By: Wajid “Shakez” Jemmott, The Talent Firm Inc.
Jae Dylan caught the acting bug very early on when she was in 1st grade. The support of her career choice was backed by her mother, mainly, who saw the potential in a young Jae early on. Her Aunt also let her play with her camcorder with aspirations of being a director one day. Growing up, Jae watched a plethora of films and TV shows. From Dynasty, All My Children, The Cosby Show, Martin, Coming To America, School Daze, Goodfellas, She’s Gotta Have It, Josephine Baker Story, any Bruce Lee or James Bond flicks, Top Gun, Malcolm X, The Doors, to the infamous “Scarface”.
Her first acting class was during her time in Jr. High School with acting coach Barbara Goldman. Fast forward to 2018, she was cast for her first leading role playing a mom in the film “Beauty Deep”. Surprisingly, it was shown in the San Jose African Film Festival.
When asked who her favorite actor and actress was, she said, “Actress Viola Davis, she is brilliant, a force, and an extraordinary talent who doesn’t get celebrated enough. She is a kind, beautiful spirit in person because I actually met her on a flight. I expressed extreme gratitude and warmly thanked her for opening doors for sistas like me. Viola responded with a smile, said thank you, hugged me, and told me I was beautiful. I immediately thanked the Queen and told her she is too, and I couldn’t wait to work with her in some capacity one day. For actors, it’s a tie between two legends, Denzel Washington and Anthony Hopkins. They’re both dynamic and powerful actors that transport you to where they are in any period and the characters they’re portraying.”
When booked for a role, Jae preps by filming her character scene and watching it on repeat until she falls asleep. She also reads her lines with anyone who will help her run through the script. When playing roles, she gives her all into them and waits to see the results on screen. While watching the self-tape, she looks for mistakes she could’ve made while filming it.
When asked which role or roles came close to real-life experiences and how it felt playing that character, she explains, “It’s crazy, but one role came as close to my real life. It was a role in The WOLVES project. Directed by James Lyons. I played someone who found someone dead in a house. Ironically, that happened to me in real life and was a very traumatic, triggering experience for me, so I had something real to pull from to feed the character.”
Current projects Jae has roles in are “The WOLVES Project” Directed by James Lyons, “Changing Lanes” written & Produced by S. Murphy, directed by OWL, “Delusional” directed by Ray Loot, “Bottom Bitc h” directed by Joseph C. Grant Jr., “Capital Punishment” 1 & 2 both directed by Frank Blenman, “Joseph” directed by Wanly Florexile, “Girl In the Closet” & “Computer Love” both directed by Lisha Hartgrove and Matty Tosca, “The Ride” directed by Omari Levers, “For The Love of Reggae Up Close and Personal” directed by Tolu Omisore.
Jae has a list of family members, friends, and mentors she would like to thank for their motivation and constant support. First, we have her biggest cheerleader, who is her Mom (Martha), who passed in 2020, and she misses dearly. Her Dad (Jean), Stepmom (Carmen), Aunt Lillie, Nina, Koran, Monica, Greg, Nonie, Celia, and Valarie. My sisters from other misters Lesley, Janene, Noelle, Tracy, Cecily, Olivia, Deeca, Chevonne, Elaine, Aundreya, Hayley Madison (my twin), Mindy, Sherri, Zohany, Pascal pPp Art Work, Lisha, Tammy, Apples, Paula. A few good men B’nard, Paris, Joseph C.G. Jr., Miguel, Etienne N., Ulysses, Darik, and Johnathan D. My brother’s from other mothers DC Coles, Bar, Nakia, Wajid, Cameron, Joe “Redman” S., Tarik, Issy, and Tony.
This play was put together by @shakezdaghetto for the @thetalentfirminc and Jae Dylan.
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